1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to container shaking devices, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved container shaking device particularly adapted for shaking finger nail polish containers prior to use. Presently, individuals must manually shake nail polish containers prior to use for a protracted period of time. To eliminate this inconvenience, the present invention provides an automatic electric shaking device particularly adapted for securing and shaking nail polish containers of various different sizes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of container shaking devices are known in the prior art. A typical example of such a container shaking device is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,962, which issued to H. Pagano on May 29, 1973. This patent discloses a jar shaker which includes an electric motor connected for driving a flywheel connected by an offset crank to a jar receiving structure free to move within a housing within limits defined by a restraining spring. The jar receiving structure is adjustable to receive and hold different sizes of jars. A timer controls duration of shaking movement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,689, which issued to B. Ahrenskou-Sorensen on Jan. 16, 1979, discloses a mixing apparatus for liquid material within a can. An inner frame includes a table for supporting the can and a clamp for securing the can on the table. The inner frame is arranged for vibration relative to an outer frame. An electric motor mounted on the outer frame drives the inner frame by way of a transmission system including a screw-nut assembly. A remote control system is provided for automatic sequential and controlled operation of the device during clamping, shaking and releasing of a can. U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,418, which issued to W. Vork on Nov. 6, 1979, discloses a device for mixing liquids such as paints in closed containers, including a motor drive unit coupled to a drive pulley to produce a constant rotational speed. The drive pulley is connected via an eccentric crank to a shaker plate which has mounted therein a container housing, the shaker plate being also supported from at least two other points by similar crank couplings so as to produce a circular oscillating motion when the drive motor is actuated. U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,782, which issued to Sparrow, Jr. on May 1, 1984, discloses a paint container shaker which includes a U-shaped holder supported within a housing and having clamping discs for detachably securing paint containers thereto. The U-shaped holder is mounted for rotation on a drive shaft horizontally received in the housing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,581, which issued to H. Miller on Feb. 5, 1985, discloses a paint shaker having an open ended bucket for receiving a paint container. A yoke supports the bucket and is mounted to rotate around a vertical axis which intersects the central longitudinal axis of the bucket at an intersection point. A motor is provided for simultaneously rotating the bucket and the yoke.
While the above mentioned devices are suited for their intended usage, none of these devices are suitable for clamping and shaking a nail polish container. Additionally, none of the above devices disclose a nail polish holder secured on a pivotal arm driven by an elongated reciprocating arm having a slotted portion receiving a transverse pin of a rotary arm for providing a jerking oscillating shaking action for effectively mixing nail polish. The present invention additionally discloses a novel nail polish container clamping mechanism which is adaptable for securing various different sizes of nail polish containers. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of container shaking devices, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such container shaking devices, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.